Residents encouraged to lend a hand on clean-up Australia Day

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk is encouraging residents to roll up their sleeves this Sunday for
Clean-up Australia Day to help Brisbane recover from recent weather events.

Cr Quirk said while substantial progress had already been made, recent wet weather conditions had delayed the clean-up process meaning there were still public parks across the city that needed to be cleared.

“Resident’s response to recent weather conditions has been fantastic, but due to the level of damage caused, there are still public parks across Brisbane affected by silt, mud and flood debris, while others need to be cleared of litter such as plastic bottles and food packaging,” Cr Quirk said.

“The heavy winds, rain and localised flooding that ripped through Brisbane left extensive waste scattered across the city. While green storm waste collection is now complete, this took longer than expected, interrupting the clean-up of public parks.

“We pride ourselves on being a clean and green city, with ample outdoor spaces for people to enjoy. That’s why we are asking volunteer’s to lend a hand on Sunday, 3 March, to help tidy up any registered Clean Up Australia Day parks.

“Clean up Australia Day is an excellent opportunity for people to come together and make a difference to their community. Last year it attracted 23,303 volunteers in Brisbane who collectively picked up 51.2 tonnes of rubbish.

“Brisbane City Council will manage the collection of all waste and recycling that is collected at Clean Up Australia Day events across the city.”

Cr Quirk urged people to stay safe during the clean-up and encouraged volunteers to wear a long sleeved shirt, hat, gloves, sunglasses and enclosed footwear on the day.

At present there are 267 ‘sites’ registered Clean Up Australia Day sites. To register or volunteer for a site in your local area, visit www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au.

Clean Up Australia Day has been running since 1990 and has become the nation’s largest community based environmental event. Each year, the event attracts hundreds of thousands of volunteers, schools and businesses Australia-wide to help clean, fix up and conserve the environment.